Modern vehicles are typically equipped with advanced display units, such as in the vehicle's dashboard at the center console with associated controls distributed throughout the dashboard. For example, navigation systems are becoming a common feature in vehicles with the commercialization of the Global Positioning System (GPS). These navigation systems use position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database. These navigation systems require user input to set location, coordinates, destinations, and the like. Traditionally, the user input is done on the navigation unit itself, such as through a touch screen or buttons adjacent to or on the unit. Navigation systems are typically located in the center of the dashboard, providing both display and input means to access the system. Disadvantageously, the center of the dashboard is not ergonomic for a driver to perform user input, but the display location is ideal for viewing by both the driver and passenger and for not interfering with other dashboard functions.
Additionally, other vehicle controls, such as climate settings, audio settings, odometer, cruise control settings, mobile phones, and the like, are located at various locations on the vehicle dashboard. Some vehicles have incorporated controls within the steering wheel to provide a more ergonomically desirable location. For example, the steering wheel can include audio controls, temperature controls and the like. The various controls can be located at more than one location. For example, audio controls can be on the steering wheel and on an audio unit in the dashboard.
Armrest assemblies including pivoting and rotating display screens are known in the art, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,065 to Chan, U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,494 to Neumann, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,508 to Jaaska, Sr. Touch screens are known and have been incorporated into vehicle control systems, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,350. However, these references fail to disclose or suggest a moveable touch panel located in an ergonomically desirable location for a driver to operate various vehicle functions, such as a navigation unit.